If you read OP NYCNY's post # 37 it states "A bit of an interesting (and ironic) update! So - after ALL THAT - turns out I completely forgot I needed Vista 32 bit for my hardware - and I was working on 64 the entire time...".

This is a thread about issues related to Windows Updates on a Vista machine, but I don't think you'll find a great deal of information here that is relevant to your own problem unless you are trying to run a 64-bit version of Vista on a machine with hardware that is better suited for a 32-bit OS.

Re: Another update stuck thread (sorry!) all tips not working on this on this laptop.

I appreciate that. I'm running 64 bit Vista Sp2. This afternoon, I installed all the available updates through January using the instructions in the link you provided. The updater still runs forever but, it's of no consequence. In addition, I have enough information to install the delayed February updates when they are released in March.

...I happened to have a set of recovery discs for a very similar machine that was 32 bit - ran those, worked like a charm, and the 200 or so updates started and FINISHED perfectly with zero issues, including SP 2! I have the last bit running now (didn't check IE yet, but already put FF on and deleted the IE icon Hardware is working perfectly and the entire unit seems to be running better now than when I got it (even though previous owner had done a restore too.)

I should mention that most HP Pavilion laptop computers from the same era as your dv4-1435dx come with a small 10-15 GB recovery partition (usually the D: drive) and HP Recovery Manager software that can be used to recover the machine back to factory settings. Unfortunately, they do not ship from the factory with removable recovery discs or a CD/DVD with an OEM copy of Windows Vista. HP suggests that users burn their own set of recovery discs with their HP Recovery Disc Creation tool when they are setting up their brand new computer (e.g., in case files on the recovery D:\ drive are corrupted), but in my experience most HP Pavilion users never take the time to burn those emergency recovery CD/DVD discs. See the HP support articles HP Notebook PCs - Performing an HP System Recovery (Windows Vista) and HP PCs - Obtaining HP Recovery Discs or an HP USB Recovery Drive for further details.

Most of your problems might have started if the original owner tried to perform a clean re-install of 64-bit Vista with OEM discs from Microsoft or used recovery discs from a 64-bit Vista HP laptop instead of using the built-in recovery partition on the D:\ drive.
------------32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v51.0.1 * NIS v22.9.0.68 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

My Computer

Re: Another update stuck thread (sorry!) all tips not working on this on this laptop.

That's interesting. Today, I let the Windows Update go all day. It actually finished for the first time in a long time, after 9 hours, and said there were no more updates. I installed the one you mentioned. Thanks for the heads up.

New Member

Did you try launching the 64-bit version of IE9 from your Windows Start button as I suggested in post # 22 to see if you have at least one IE9 browser that's updating correctly? I don't have a 64-bit Vista SP2 computer but manyt 64-bit Windows OSs come with both a 32-bit and 64-bit IE browser. The 32-bit version launches by default since it is compatible with most add-ons.

Re-installing IE9 might be faster than trying to track down the cause of your 9C48 error. I did a bit of searching and the solution can be ridiculously easy (one user found this error disappeared when they logged in to Windows with a user account that had Administrator rights) to something more complex (e.g., a corrupted C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download folder). If you're going that route I'd suggest you create a new topic in the Browsers & Mail board or post over in bleepingcomputer's Web Browsing/Email and Other Internet Applications board and get some proper guidance for the best way to perform a clean reinstall of IE9 on a 64-bit Vista SP2 machine.

A few things to consider first, though, before you waste too much time on this. With extended support for Vista SP2 ending on 11-Apr-2017, have you considered upgrading to Win 7 SP1 or purchasing a refurbished Win 7 SP1 or new Win 10 machine? I went through my notes and found another user 64-bit Vista SP2 user, chrisupi007, who encountered this 9C48 error with the IE9 Update Version 9.0.34 / KB3008923 (64-bit IE9 only, 32-bit IE9 worked fine) - see my post # 159 in the bleepingcomputer thread Windows Vista Update Hangs at "Checking For Updates". He got so fed up trying to fix his Vista SP2 problems he eventually purchased a legal copy of 64-bit Win 7 online and upgraded his OS to squeeze out three additional years of security updates for his machine.

My other concern is that IE9 is not a safe choice for a default browser. Microsoft will be releasing monthly security updates for IE9 until April 2017 but this browser has not supported newer (and safer) Transport Layer Security protocols like TLS 1.1 and 1.2 for connecting to secure https sites for several years. When I browse to the Qualys SSL Labs test page at https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/viewMyClient.html with IE9 I am warned that my browser will connect to https sites using older, insecure protocols and that it does not support the latest TLS protocols. I only use IE9 for testing purposes (e.g., when a download or some other functionality doesn't work in my Firefox browser) and only when necessary - my bank won't even allow me log into their website with IE9.

Google stopped releasing security updates for Chrome on the XP and Vista in April 2016 (see their blog entry Updates to Chrome Platform Support) but Mozilla Firefox is still fully supported for both these OS and supports TLS 1.2. In March 2017 Mozilla plans to automatically move Win XP SP3 and Vista SP2 users to their Extended Support Release (ESR) version of Firefox 52 (i.e., no new features but continued security patches), so if you switch now to Firefox you should be secure until September 2017 and possibly into early 2018. From the Mozilla support article Important - Firefox is Ending Support for Windows XP and Vista:

"Firefox security updates for XP and Vista users will continue until September 2017, although new features will not be offered. In mid-2017, a final support end date will be announced based on the number of users still on Windows XP and Vista."
------------32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox v51.0.1 * NIS v22.9.0.68 * MBAM Premium v2.2.1

I can confirm, I had to purchase a legal key of Windows 7 Pro and upgrade, they are cheap just $5 on ebay. I had so many system/programs issues with Vista, since the upgrade to Windows 7 I had no more issues.

I appreciate that. I'm running 64 bit Vista Sp2. This afternoon, I installed all the available updates through January using the instructions in the link you provided. The updater still runs forever but, it's of no consequence. In addition, I have enough information to install the delayed February updates when they are released in March.

Did you manually download & install the latest available WIN32K.SYS security update? (the previous win32k.sys update was KB3204723)
It's now KB4012497 (don't install this thru Windows Update, you need to download & install this yourself from the MS Update Catalog site rather than letting WU do it for you)

Since there is neither a Servicing Stack Update nor a Rollup for Windows Vista, the differences between Win7 and Vista are going to increase, starting in October 2016. So I can't make any more recommendations for this OS. Nonetheless I'll list those updates for Vista that will most likely speed up the search, limited to new updates (you can find the old ones on the pages of previous months).

Installing the very latest WIN32K.SYS updates on Vista are still band-aid or temporary solutions that will speed up Windows Update checking/searching for several weeks until the next Patch Tuesday (and if a newer win32k.sys update comes out on that next Patch Tuesday, the existing win32k.sys fixes will stop working and the WU checking forever problem comes back - hey the Windows Update Agent program in Vista has gotten old with age and can't keep track of so many post-SP2 updates for Vista - it's true! And Microsoft has not developed a more "permanent" fix by patching the Windows Update Agent engine on Vista itself like what Microsoft did on Windows 7 SP1 with the KB3161608 and KB3172605 updates, patch & update the Windows Update Agent app on Win7 SP1)